Crossover

[Tom Foolery]

ok i just found out about this extremly cool program called crossover, apperently it allows leopard to open .exe files. this seems too good to be true. after all why would apple release boot camp if they could have just made a program to allow users to open windows files directly in mac.

so my two questions are does this actually work smoothly, and if it does work will this allow me to get windows viruses and spyware

thanks

 

[NeXTLoop]

CrossOver is a pretty well-known program. It's based on WINE, which has been available for Linux for ages. It basically translates all the "calls" that a Windows program would make to the Windows frameworks into "calls" to native OS X frameworks.

If you're familiar with MacPorts, you can simply download the free WINE. If not, then go ahead and get CrossOver. It won't work with every program, its not as comprehensive as true virtualization. But for everyday run-of-the-mill apps, it can work pretty effectively.

 

[Tom Foolery]

no unfortunatly i'm not familiar with macports but i do know a thing or two about computers, as long as i'm not entering command lines then i think i would be ok with it

but now the question becomes will the windows viruses and spyware be compatible with my mac

 

[yellow]

Just to make sure..

It's not just Leopard that is required, it's an Intel Mac that is the more important piece of that equation.

Also, crossover is not perfect. You will find executables that won't function. To fill that rather large gap, there is Parallels, VMWare Fusion, and Bootcamp.

 

[Tom Foolery]

i have a C2D MBP but what about the viruses

 

[yellow]

Don't know.

I prefer the Parallels/Bootcamp approach for my Windows work. The closed nature appeals to me. If I have a problem, nuke it and replace with a known good backup without disturbing my OS X Install.

My gut tells me that a virus tailored specifically for a Windows OS will have a tough time functioning in an OS X environment using CrossOver without some sort of user interaction.. but I don't have any proof to back that up with.